What Happened to Our Sense of Humor?

Honestly, what happened? Yes, our world is in a shambles, but why have we stopped laughing? Stick with me here, because I have a real dream to share I had last evening.

As for humor, I don't mean the sitcom drivel on television or in raunchy nightclubs, either. I mean good, clean jokes and laughs.

Word examples

Times change as do words. When we use the word fizzle today we mean failure. But back in the day it meant something different. You likely would never guess that it meant to pass gas, that is, let out flatulence on the cool.

The word clue used to mean a ball of yarn. How did this change to "I haven't a clue?"

And then there's the word spinster. These were women who spun various fabrics. And today? It means an old, unmarried woman.

Flirt. Back 5,000 years ago it meant to flick something away, like a gnat, fly or a pesky mosquito. Today we know it means to toy with someone's emotions, at times in an unkind way.

Gardyloo. Pardon my sense of humor, but that to me is actually funny itself. I'm unsure if it is still used today, but it was in old Scotland. People in Edinburgh used to shout out their windows as a warning before dumping their slop buckets ahem) out of their windows.

Umbrella. We don't know it as any other name. But is used to be referred to as a bumbershoot. Can you imagine walking into a 7-11 or stopping by a vendor and using a bit of an accent? "Pardon me, Madam, have you a bumbershoot I might buy for a few shillings?"

Today people would shoo us away or call the police.

Police: "Precinct 4, Officer Perkins, may I be of assistance?"

Vendor: "Why yes, sir. There's a crazy man asking to buy my bumbershoot. It's outrageous! He's an obvious sex maniac!"

Police: "We'll be right over to your location, Ma'am. We'll send a SWAT team and a mental health professional."

A real dream

Last night I had a peculiar dream or perhaps a vision. In the dream my wife were searching for a new church to attend. We saw it on Facebook. It was a big ado replete with food and rides and games.

Intrigued, we attended and were met by a lot of warm and loving people. Now, it's no secret that I have 23 tattoos from my former lifestyle. It was not a Godly lifestyle before He saved me with mercy and grace.

All of a sudden, a grumpy cop accosted me and asked why I was in attendance, because as he said, "We don't like your kind here."

A crowd gathered to see the commotion. My best please plea of being a disciple of Jesus went unheeded. He said he'd run me through the computer, find a crime, and then would be more than happy to place a set of steel bracelets on my wrists and cart me off to jail.

I felt a little guilt because perhaps I had failed to pay a ticket in my past. But the crowd began to shun me, and some murmurs were heard that I was a wanted criminal. But my loving wife begged me to stay and be vindicated.

A turn of events

As I sat watching 21 cops eating donuts and swilling coffee, and giving me the old evil eye, I had to laugh at their false bravado, especially since I am a trained special forces paratrooper.

Bad cop returned a few times and assured me he would find something on me.

And then he did. In his hands were a set of old clothes he claimed I stole from a home in Wisconsin.

My claims that I'd never been to Wisconsin went unheeded. And then a kindly gentlemen stepped in and asked the officer to allow me to prove myself innocent. He grumbled but agreed.

Well, it turns out that two dead chickens were being ready to be plucked. Summing up my faith, and as the crowd followed, I spoke these words:

"Get up and rise in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!"

People laughed, while others were ready to stone me for blasphemy.

Then the chickens opened their eyes and came to life! Gasps were heard. Two women fainted. But there was more to come.

"In the name of the Lord Jesus of Nazareth. I command you to change breeds so you do not become part of the festival feast."

In an instant they changed to two darling puppies. But there was a catch. Each puppy had four eyes!

Then the crowd changed. They asked me to heal their sick and ailing. But I was unwilling because of their lack of faith. Well, I did heal a young paralytic in a wheelchair all her life.

An elderly women asked me why the pups had four eyes.

A voice thundered from above: "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember?" (Mark 8:18, NIV).

Now tell me Jesus did not have a sense of humor.

Jesus

Before Jesus fed the 5,000, we read:

"Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick" (John 6:1-2, NIV).

Faith

"Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them" (Mark 11:23, NIV).

Dream or vision I cannot say. But do this: Do not forget the Lord. Strengthen your faith. Be blessed. We can all do mighty works in the name of the Lord. Be ready, because Jesus can return at any time.